State of Origin tests the allegiances of even the closest friends at this time of the year.
Just ask Sia Soliola, who said he might have to 'turn his back' on close friend and room-mate Josh Papalii over the next six weeks.
Soliola joked it was a simple case of mathematics with two Raiders in the NSW camp compared to Papalii the only Raider in maroon.
"For me, if you want to know where I stand, I probably wish Jack and Nick more luck, sorry roomie," Soliola said.
"It just adds a little bit more to it (having Blues players to support), you support anybody from your team that makes that level.
"But to have a couple of guys you've worked with you see how much they deserve those spots and it makes it that much more special so I'm really looking forward to Wednesday."
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The Canberra veteran is set to have a bigger role this Friday night against the Wests Tigers, with the club's forward depth being taken closer to breaking point.
Hudson Young will miss the next five weeks after taking the early guilty pleas for dangerous contact to the face of Bulldogs prop Aiden Tolman.
Corey Horsburgh's impressive start to his NRL career has been halted after suffered a fractured elbow early in Canberra's win over the Bulldogs.
Regardless of more changes, and Papalii's expected playing time just 48 hours after playing for Queensland, Soliola said the club held all players to certain expectations.
"That's the standard you want to set right from the get-go, these things can happen throughout the year and things can change quickly so when they do we want guys who are prepared and ready," he said.
"The only difference is the faces really, the standards and the quality we set from the start of the season never changes.
"We still have to rock up with the same attitude and we still have our polices and processes within our units and they're the demands we set."
In the halves, Ricky Stuart has given Sam Williams the nod over Aidan Sezer to partner Blues debutant Jack Wighton.
Williams had admitted he was unsure if he had done enough to keep his spot but his composed displays convinced Stuart to stick with him.
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"First and foremost, it was important we won the game last week," Williams said.
"I was happy with how the game went and victory like that under any circumstances is good, so all we could control was getting the win and we managed to do that."
The return of international winger Jordan Rapana from a knee injury is a massive boost, while 21-year-old Bailey Simonsson keeps his spot on the other wing.
Simonsson said he is trying to adapt the physicality of the NRL but his stats from the Bulldogs win show he is more than holding his own.
With 184 run metres, 66 post-contact metres and four tackle breaks the former Rugby Sevens star said simplicity in his role on game day has helped him perform.
"I'm just trying to do my job for the team, coming out of yardage and getting carries in to relieve pressure on the forwards," he said.
"I've been learning more about the NRL, just how brutal it is and how much things can change inside a team week-to-week, so you've got to learn how to adapt and overcome things quickly because the competition doesn't wait for you."
